At what point will the Spirit's
work for Christians be complete?
We answer, not until we are born of
the Spirit.
Our Headthe Lord
Jesus Christwas born of the Spirit
more than 1800 years ago, and we
as members of His body must and
will follow Him into the same life,
and by the same power of the Holy
Spirit.
The birth of the Head secures
the birth of the body in due
time.

If as some claim Christ the Head
is to return to His church under the
vail of the flesh to complete the education
of His church, and that then
because He returns, the Spirit is to
be withdrawn, would it not prove
the Spirit incompetent to do the
work to which He was appointed by
the Lord Himself, viz: to lead us into
all truth and bring us to the birth.

The Spirit is Christ representative
in us, and Paul uses the terms "Spirit
of God," "Spirit of Christ" and "Christ
in you" interchangeably. Rom. 8:9-10.
Now if an external, visible
Christ is superior teacher to Christ
in us, it would not have been expedient
for us for Christ to go away
and send the Comforter.

It is Christ in us, or the indwelling
of the spirit, that makes us
Christians or sons of God. Rom. 8:8-17.
This is the real and only
difference between us and the world.
He strives with the man of the world
to lead him to God; but he dwells in
the Christian.
We can conceive the
idea of the Spirit's (for some special
reason) ceasing to strive with man, as when the Lord spoke to Noah:
"My spirit shall not always strive
with man;" but we cannot conceive
the idea of the spirit being withdrawn
from the Christian, without
his ceasing to be a Christian. Take
the spirit from the church, and they
would be nothing but a company of
mere natural menmen in the
flesh.
"So, then, they that are in
the flesh cannot please God.
But ye
are not in the flesh, but in the spirit,
if so be that the spirit of God dwell
in you.
Now if any man have not
the spirit of Christ, he is none ofHis."Rom. 8:8,9.
The only
way that the work of the spirit can
cease is by being perfected.
In this
sense, Paul speaks of several things
ceasingprophecies, tongues and
knowledge (1 Cor. 13:8); but he
explains it: "For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when
that which is perfect is come, then that
which is in part shall be done away." Verses 9,10.
So also, he says, a
child ceases to be a child by becoming
a man. Ver. 11.
"Now we see
through a glass darkly, but then face
to face."
We can only cease to be begotten children of God by being born. God's plan moves on to
perfection.

That it is possible that we might
be born of the Spirit, and for a time
remain in appearance as natural men,
as did Christ, after He was raised
from the dead, we do not deny.
Suchmay be the case. But the Spirit cannot
resign his work until it is
complete.
J. H. P.